Field
This disclosure is generally related to a system for transferring a data stream to a client device. More specifically, this disclosure is related to a method for segmenting a data stream into a sequence of content objects, and using a reference in a content object to obtain one or more other out-of-sequence content objects from the data stream.
Related Art
Widespread use of the Internet has made it easier for people to consume digital content without traveling to a store to purchase physical copies. A user's client device can obtain the digital content, such as streaming media and executable files, from a dedicated server. For example, media playing programs can present a media stream to the user while the media stream is being downloaded, when the media stream is encoded into a predetermined sequence of frames that are to be processed in-order.
Some media formats require a media player to seek or skip to other portions of the media stream to read the necessary portions before resuming playback. However, web browsers and download managers typically download data files in-sequence. Hence, presenting the media stream during download can require the media player to pause playback of the content until the necessary portions are downloaded, which leads to an interrupted playback experience. Similarly, when operating systems download a binary executable file to execute for the user, the entire file needs to be downloaded before the file can be executed. However, downloading complete software applications can cause the user to wait for an undesirably long period of time, especially when the executable files are significantly large.